Music

The Big Night of Musicals is returning to the AO Arena in Manchester – and tickets are FREE

It's hosted by Jason Manford.

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson - 30th November 2023

The National Lottery’s Big Night of Musicals will return to the AO Arena in Manchester early next year, with free tickets.

The huge event will be hosted by local comedian Jason Manford, and will bring together jaw-dropping performances from the biggest West End and touring musicals.

Audiences will be treated to hits from shows including Everybody’s Talking About Jamie, A Chorus Line, Moulin Rouge! The Musical, GREASE, Hadestown, and Guys & Dolls.

The massive glittering event will take place on Monday 22 January, to be aired on BBC One, BBC Radio 2 and BBC Sounds at a later date.  

And tickets for The National Lottery’s Big Night of Musicals are completely free – all you need to do is be a National Lottery player.

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The 12,000 free tickets will be available on a first-come, first-served basis from 1pm today, Thursday 30 November, at bignightofmusicals.com.

The event has been created to thank National Lottery players, who in the past year have helped support over 750 theatre-related projects across the UK.  

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 Jason Manford will be joined by special guest, West End legend and singing sensation, Beverley Knight, who has starred in theatre shows including The Bodyguard, Cats, Memphis, Sylvia, and Sister Act.

Moulin Rouge will be one of the shows in The National Lottery's Big Night of Musicals. Credit: Marc Brenner
Moulin Rouge will be one of the shows in The National Lottery’s Big Night of Musicals. Credit: Marc Brenner

The National Lottery has awarded more than £517m to arts projects across the country, with £46m of this going towards theatre related projects. 

For The National Lottery’s Big Night of Musicals, players will be able to reserve up to four tickets for free, plus a £2 booking fee applies per ticket and proof of purchase of a National Lottery product is required.   

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Comedian, musical theatre performer and host Jason Manford said: “I’m thrilled to be hosting The National Lottery’s Big Night of Musicals once again.

“We’ve got another amazing line-up of smash hit shows for the Manchester Arena audience to enjoy.  And the best thing about this show is that the tickets are free! 

“It’s a thank you from The National Lottery to all the people who have supported the performing arts through these crucial years by playing each week.”

Beverley Knight, who also performed in the 2022 launch of The National Lottery’s Big Night of Musicals, said: “It’s great to be coming back to be part of this incredible show. The support National Lottery players make to the theatre industry is crucial to the performers and myriad of people – at large and small venues – who help make a night at the theatre so special.

“I can’t wait to see this astonishing line up of talent in Manchester belting out musical classics.”

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Featured image: Supplied

Music

Manchester’s iconic Bridgewater Hall to host FIVE Christmas events this year

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson Bridgewater Hall has five Christmas events on this year

The Bridgewater Hall, one of Manchester’s finest music venues and concert halls, has announced a busy programme of Christmas events this year. 

The beloved landmark has a schedule that includes something for all ages, from family-friendly shows and carol singing to epic orchestral evenings. 

Over the course of the festive season, the Bridgewater Hall will host the music of the world’s greatest composers, travel back in time with nostalgic swing nights, and welcome in fans of all ages to get into the festive spirit. 

This year’s schedule includes appearances from Sir Karl Jenkins, Horrible Histories, The Glenn Miller Orchestra, and loads more. 

Have a read below for the five big Christmas events at Bridgewater Hall this year. 

Christmas with Sir Karl Jenkins

Christmas with Sir Karl Jenkins
Christmas with Sir Karl Jenkins

The Bridgewater Hall will welcome a musical icon this Christmas, with a very special evening with Sir Karl Jenkins. 

He’ll be conducting a spell-binding night of carols and festive classics, brought to life by the Manchester Concert Orchestra and presented by John Suchet. 

Expect choirs, a full orchestra and a timeless evening of live music to get you into the Christmas spirit. 

There’ll be music from Sir Karl’s hit festive albums Joy To The World and Stella Natalis, including Silent Night, Dulci Jubilo, Healing Light and plenty more. 

22 December at 3pm  | Tickets HERE

Christmas Carol Singalong

Christmas Carol Singalong
Christmas Carol Singalong

Can you think of a more magical way to ring in Christmas than with traditional carol singing on Christmas Eve? Because we can’t. 

The ultimate night of carolling will hit the Bridgewater Hall this winter, led by the inimitable Jonathan Cohen and featuring West End star Louise Dearman.

Belt your heart out to the likes of The Twelve Days of Chrismtas, Winter Wonderland, Frosty The Snowman, and plenty more beloved carols. 

24 December at 3pm | Tickets HERE

The Music of Zimmer vs Williams

The Music of Zimmer vs Williams returns to Bridgewater Hall this Christmas
The Music of Zimmer vs Williams returns to Bridgewater Hall this Christmas

Composers don’t get much more iconic than Hans Zimmer and John Williams, who between them have crafted the most legendary movie music soundtracks of all time. 

The 70-piece Manchester Concert Orchestra will be performing a selection of these in an almighty concert, where you’ll hear live renditions of soundtracks including Star Wars, Interstellar, Harry Potter, The Holiday, Pirates of the Caribbean, E.T., and loads more. 

This night will be an epic head-to-head battle between two of the film industry’s composing greats. 

27 December at 7.30pm | Tickets HERE

Horrible (Histories) Christmas

Horrible Histories
Horrible Histories

The legendary Horrible Histories team will bring Horrible Christmas to the Bridgewater Hall in December, taking audiences on a festive romp through British history. 

From Victorian villains to medieval monks, partying Puritans to terrible Tudors, and even a visit from St Nicholas himself.

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The show will follow a Christmas that’s under threat from a jolly man in red (clue – it’s Santa), and one brave child’s mission to save the day.  

It’ll be a night packed with family-friendly laughs, villains, and seasonal cheer.

28 December at 2pm and 4.30pm | Tickets HERE

The Glen Miller Orchestra

The Glen Miller Orchestra
The Glen Miller Orchestra

Wrapping up the seasonal programme at the Bridgewater Hall is The Glen Miller Orchestra, stepping back in time to relive the music that defined an era. 

The UK’s most celebrated big band will perform war-time chart-toppers from the 1940s, harking Manchester back to the golden age of swing. 

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Special guest Ray McVay will join the orchestra on stage, adding to the concert’s vintage charm. 

And for the second half of the show, the band will don the iconic US Army Air Force uniforms of the Second World War for a truly immersive experience. 

29 December at 3pm | Tickets HERE

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Featured image: Supplied

Music

A 5k charity event where runners dress up as Pitbull is coming to Manchester city centre

Danny Jones Danny Jones Pitbull fancy dress 5k charity run Manchester

Yep, you read it right the first time – a regular 5k charity run returns to Manchester this month, only this time, those taking part will be dressed up as Pitbull for some reason…

Don’t ask us, we just thought it was funny and it’s for a good cause, so why the hell not?

For a little context, this is the latest idea from Slow Run Club: a local running organisation that takes place weekly at three different locations across Greater Manchester.

We know ‘Mr Worldwide’ himself has been and gone, having played a couple of nights in Manchester earlier this year, but these lot have decided two nights of yelling ‘Timberrrr’ still wasn’t quite enough and asking those joining the October fundraising 5k to dress up like the one and only Pitbull.

In case you missed it when ‘Dale’ fever took over the city streets this past summer, bald caps, sunglasses, black felt goatees and drawn-on moustaches descended upon central Manchester as they have been all over the UK and beyond for his live shows.

Was it utterly daft? Yes. Was it still one of THE best gig crowds we’ve seen in yonks? Absolutely.

The 44-year-old Floridian rapper and resurgent pop star played multiple nights at the Co-op Live, and they were brilliant, but we’re not going to pretend that the best wasn’t seeing the sea of shiny bald heads and shades in suits and ties.

It’s rare that you see such a shared moment of abandoning inhibitions and embracing the silliness; it was genuinely so great to see, and it’s that same energy that these guys are trying to tap into. Put simply, it’s about letting go and dancing like no one’s watching.

Teaming up with fellow charity-focused running group, Run The Streets MCR, Slow Run Club (SRC)’s Pitbull fancy-dress-themed run is just the latest in a growing trend of alternative ways to get some exercise in.

You can ‘run and rave’ as part of this new charity-driven social in Manchester city centre
After you’ve gone all ‘305’ at the Pitbull run, these Manchester runners are worth looking into as well.

Having done everything from the regular fancy dress Halloween runs to Oasis, Sabrina Carpenter, ABBA-themed runs, and many more, you’d be surprised how much you don’t care about what people think when you’re running around and dancing to tunes – especially when it’s for charity.

Once again, the Slow Run Club x Run The Streets MCR ‘Pitbull Edition’ 5k charity run takes place this month on Wednesday, 22 October, from 6:30pm onwards outside The Tap House on Circle Square, just off the Oxford Road Corridor, before setting off at a laid-back social pace.

This is the same place and time you’ll find SRC’s city centre regular meet-up every week; speaking to The Manc, founder Holly Spiers said: “We run from The Taphouse every Wednesday (just not usually dressed as Pitbull) and offer an inclusive pace as well as rest stops.”

Speaking of fancy dress, if you haven’t seen the group of four mates who made history at the 2025 Manchester Half, stop what you’re doing and read this:

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For all the latest news, events and goings on in Greater Manchester, subscribe to The Manc newsletter HERE.

Featured Images — Audio North/Slow Run Club MCR

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